Navy veteran recalls patrols in South Pacific, typhoons

George Brooks celebrated aboard a naval ship in Pearl Harbor the day that the Japanese surrendered. He manned torpedo boats in the midst of naval battles. Through it all, he gained a a lot of friends. And lost just as many.

Sunday night, the 86-year-old remembered them, along with 250 who attended Memorial Day services at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Greeley. Many veterans such as

Brooks attended the memorial services, including those from the Greeley chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans Chapter No. 8.

While World War II aircraft performed flyovers, Brooks remembered the time he spent serving nearly four years in the Navy, during a time when more than 400,000 Americans lost their lives.

Brooks was a Sea Scout in Pennsylvania as a child because he was interested in the water. He knew that he wanted to join the U.S. Navy. He enlisted shortly after receiving his bachelor’s degree in history from Sterling College in Sterling.

Brooks was shipped out to Tulagi, Solomon Islands, in the South Pacific for six months. His ship would patrol almost every other night searching for enemy boats that dropped off ammunition in the islands.

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“I remember sneaking up the ships and firing at them,” said Brooks. “It was hard because most of the time it was at night and raining.”

Brooks and his three brothers all fought in WWII, something that was common during that time, but he was fortunate not to lose any family during the war.

“Every able-bodied man that could be afforded, and thousands of women, fought for our freedom,” said Brig. Gen. Patrick O’Hara, the keynote speaker during yesterday’s celebration. “It has been said that all gave some and some gave all.”

During his time in the Solomon Islands, Brooks decided he wanted to ride in one of the Air Force airplanes. He met a friend of his to take him up for a ride, and the joy ride turned into an actual mission.

“I got to ride in a dive-bomb,” Brooks said. “We dropped a bomb over Guadalcanal.”

Brooks’ daughter, Marge Rice, attended the ceremony with her father. Rice heard all about the things he has done and was reminiscing with him before the ceremony.

“I am very proud of him,” Rice said. “I applaud the courage of all the people that have sent their sons to war. I have a son and I can’t imagine sending him off overseas.”

Brooks was sent home after spending six months in the Solomon Islands and was shipped back out to Okinawa, Japan.

During his second assignment as a gunnery officer he faced bigger battles. The waters were rough on his way to Okinawa: His ship faced two of the largest typhoons in the world at that time. The ship deck was 50 feet above the water line, but during the typhoon he had to look up to see the waves crashing.

“That was the worst kind of combat,” he said. “We couldn’t shoot back.”

Since he ended his active duty, he earned two more degrees. He received a master’s in education at the University of Kansas and a doctorate in administration at the University of Northern Colorado. He served as a dean at UNC.

Now that Brooks is retired, he puts his time into researching environmental issues and his five great-grandchildren. The military sparked his interest in politics.

“I love the idea of being involved in politics, and I wish that more people would serve the country,” Brooks said. “There are a lot of ways to serve. It’s not just the military.”

Brooks watched as the WWII airplanes fly overhead and he remembered. He remembered the time that he served and the friends that he lost.

“I have a lot of good memories,” Brooks said. “I am glad that I was able to serve.”